I did choke on my coffee when reading the article in The Guardian concerning West Ham’s £20 million interest in N’Golo Kante. So much so that I had to read it twice. Great player, absolutely. Even performed well at Euro 24, appearing in all six of France’s games. Clearly still a top-level performer, albeit in a tournament lasting one month, at the age of 33.
Now as you know, we do our very best to encourage opinion and discussion through engaging with our readers. Sometimes, opinions are also divided amongst those of us who put pen to paper on behalf of C and H and I am well aware that I’m flying in the face of other pieces written this morning by my colleagues on the very same subject.
However I wonder at what point in the Steiden and Lopetegui pre-window strategy session did the idea occur of delving into the Saudi Market for overpaid, ‘twighlight’ players (and their agents) looking for yet another payday as part of their plan to return West Ham United to the upper echelons of Premier League football and Europa League qualification.
Especially looking at the £20 million needed just to acquire the players’ signature and the reported £21 million a year he is being paid. How much of a pay cut would he have to take to come to London Stadium? Even If both West Ham and the player absolutely needed this deal to go ahead – with no other options for either – then it still wouldn’t fit in with the stated Lopetegui / Steidten mission, would it?
And if it blocked young talented midfielders from our Academy from making progress, I know our audience would have something to say about that.
BUT Principally: Compared with some of the alternatives still available out there in the transfer market, you’d think the cupboard was bare. Negotiations are still on going right this day for international-quality players: One in particular seems an absolute no-brainer compared with the idea of chucking £20 million away on a 33 year old, plus however many millions in salary.
Youssouf Fofana is a top talent
Kante alternative
Football-Italia.net today are reporting that Milan are ‘edging closer’ to a deal, for Youssouf Fofana, with AS Monaco setting the official asking price at 20 million euros. The current bid is just twelve million euros plus add-ons.
Contrastingly, the French national is just 25 years old and coming into his peak: Having watched him perform occasionally he does seem a perfect fit for the Lopetegui model in style, attitude and age: Instead of adding to our list of creaking, ageing players one bad tackle away from a six month layoff, wouldn’t our dynamic duo be better looking elsewhere for younger, better value players seeking to grow their careers rather than just another payday?
And for deals that might actually come to fruition instead of wasting a week to find that , surprise, surprise, “The Player’s wage demands scuppered a deal”. The brave new world which West Ham United fans were promised with ‘pearl diving’ for undiscovered gems and young ambitious talent currently seems a very long way away. I’m old enough to remember the excitement (and how quickly it faded) when West Ham bought ex-Arsenal speedster Freddie Ljungberg at the age of 30 only to find his speed deserted him within the year and he became an expensive ornament.
If he wants to leave Saudi, and can force his way out I think a loan could work out perfectly. Nothing against Kante, but a £20m transfer fee plus wages in the region of £100k per week would be very rich for us in my opinion given his age.
A three year deal would cost Westham 60 t0 70 million and Kante would be on a Zimmer frame at 36 years old , it would be in the Calvin Phillips category of bad deals and financially damage Westham . Lopetegui and Steidten might resign in protest at more BS from Sullivan . NO NO NO NO NO NO .
I think everyone needs to calm down and see what happens. Apparently man U now want Alvarez included in a deal for AWB. Regardless of that Alvarez is injured and this player slips straight into the starting lineup and raises competition among the midfield 3. As for “one last payday” the player will need to take a huge pay cut, which shows that should he move the challenge is more important than the salary. I’d be happy enough with him on a 3 year deal as long as some young understudies for the future join too.
This and Calum Wilson bear all the hallmarks of Sullivan. I doubt it’s got anything to with Tim or Loppy. And fortunately I doubt anything will come of them. It would be the Dead Bull model.
Interesting that you tag this story as relating to Julen Lopetegui. Can’t possibly have anything to do with boy wonder Timmy, if this site disagrees with it. All the good buys will be Timmy’s and all the bad ones will be owned by Lopetegui? Get used to it, Julen!!
errr.. it’s actually tagged with them both, Davey.
This stinks of Sullivan getting over excited about a ‘name’ player who the agents are desperate to get a move back to London for and have told our starstruck owner he wants to come to West Ham (when they’ve contacted every team in London).
Sullivan convinces himself that these players are still 26 and no matter whether the coach wants him or not, he won’t be able to resist the ‘big name’ waring claret & blue. Cannot see this having anything to do with Steidten or JLo.
I think Kant is a diamond of a bloke. Wanted to get some dosh in sportwashing FC but after the Euros wants to end his career here.
Heard there’s be trouble with his taxes, and loads of other stuff.
Let’s hope Jlo and Tim threaten to resign if this is a true story!
I’d rather we kept Downes!
I suggested Fofana and made all the same points earlier on Gonzo’s post regarding Kante.
Maybe I should be a writer for C&H 🤔🤣
Luckily ☝️ that is fake news like a lot of what we read!
Keep Antonio on proplus would make more sense , just idle gossip.
Konte is just a smokescreen. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet especially if it starts with the title C&H !
He’s on £423k a week at Al ittihad….
That much alone should tell you this is not happening.
Same old story so much for taking the club to the next level looks like we are going back to bringing in has beens that are past their sell by date all we hear is that we are looking at this one and that one and a lot of talk but no real action to speak of this rebuild of the squad is starting turn into a farce